The Living End
by AfterForevah
Summary: SQ Enchanted Forest/Wish Realm. Defeated and powerless, Regina is banished to another realm. To give her another chance Blue disguises her as an attractive young woman, the catch being that she will not age until she finds a way to fill the hole in her heart. After 28 years Regina, now known as Florence, returns to the Royal Family's castle as Henry's horseback riding coach.
1. 1: Banishment

_[Trigger warning for suicide in this first chapter]_

 _Hi guys! This fic is inspired by the situation in Emma's wish realm, as well as by bandit Regina and a few other bits and pieces of the canon storyline._

 _This is a swan queen fic, but there's quite a lot of build up so Emma enters the fic kind of late. I felt like this was necessary to tell the story, but I realize it might be quite annoying… I promise you'll meet her in chapter two, though. I hope you enjoy your read_

 **Chapter I: Banishment**

Once upon a time… Snow White and prince Charming tricked the Evil Queen, took away her magic and made sure she could never hurt them again. They banished her from their kingdom and restored the peace in their realm. They lived happily ever after in their palace, with their daughter Emma, whom they raised to be a proper princess.

The Evil Queen found her fate heavy to bear; so much so that after seven months of banishment she was preparing her suicide. She had travelled through four realms so far, each of them further away from the Enchanted forest, and yet in every one of them her reputation had preceded her. Every time she entered a new realm the same thing would happen: first, people would be afraid, and she was able to live in peace for a couple of weeks, getting everything she needed by being as intimidating as she could possibly be without putting up a magic show. Unfortunately for her, news travelled fast, and as soon as the people discovered that her magic had been taken away they would turn to taunting her. She had been abused both physically and mentally countless times and had had no way of fighting back. She was not physically strong, and her sharp tongue was hardly intimidating now that the people knew that everything she sputtered at them were empty threats. So it happened that the once mighty Evil Queen was now all alone in a forest, with ripped and dirty clothes and full of the scars and still-open wounds the harassments had caused, tying a hangman's noose. She had learned to do this when she was still in power and had found a cruel satisfaction in tying the knot for some of the many people that had been hanged by her command. All of that seemed a lifetime ago now. Once she had secured the noose to a low hanging branch of a tree, the exiled queen took a step back and sighed. After all that she had been through, the epic life she had lived, this ending seemed almost anticlimactic. She looked around her at the squirrels that hopped from branch to branch looking for food, and the birds that were tweeting happily to each other, and almost started to feel melancholic, but then shook her head and determinedly walked towards the tree that would be her final resting place. As she placed the rope around her neck, she whispered "May I die as Regina," and closed her eyes.

"Stop!" Regina's eyes shot open. The voice had sounded cloudy, as if it was not from someone that was physically there, but a figment of her imagination. Was this normal when you were trying to kill yourself, to have your brain tell you that you shouldn't? But then Regina saw a blue light approaching her. "Blue… The Blue Fairy?!"

"Indeed," said Blue as she made herself big and made her fluttering wings disappear behind her back.

The mere sight of someone from her own realm shocked Regina, and for a moment she didn't know what to say. Then she remembered the way she had always spoke to people from her there, and in a sneer said "I don't know what you're doing here, dragonfly, but I'm kind of in the middle of a private affair."

"I can see that," said Blue while she lifted her wand. "That's why I'm here." With a flick of her wrist, Blue made the rope disappear.

"Hey! All you've ever wanted was to have me gone, why can't you just let me die in peace, you cruel bitch?!" Regina was furious. "If I had my magic right now, you'd be burnt to a crisp already!"

"It's a good thing you don't have it anymore, then" replied the fairy, which made Regina even more angry. Before she could start cursing again, however, Blue spoke again. "As I'm sure you are aware, you're quite defenceless against me, so I suggest you save the both of us some time and just listen to what I have to say. You might find that it is in your best interest."

"Nothing you fairies have ever done has been in my best interest," said Regina in a disdainful tone.

Blue raised an eyebrow. "You are quite mistaken, Regina, but I know blaming everyone but yourself for your own misery is kind of your thing. Now, are you going to listen to me?"

Regina, knowing she didn't have much of a choice, gave the fairy a sharp look before replying "Fine."

"Alright. Here's the deal. I'm here to offer you another chance at a decent life."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Not this crap again?! Why do you heroes keep making me suffer and then expect me to be grateful for your 'second chances'?"

"I never said you had to be grateful. Now that you're powerless and have no way of hurting anyone, I'd be terribly cruel if I didn't give you another chance, and being cruel is against fairy laws. Look, either you take it or you die alone in the middle of this forest, have it your way. I've stopped you once, but I won't again. But first hear me out." Blue paused, expecting another sharp reply, but Regina remained silent. "Clearly being the way you are now, you have no chance at redeeming yourself. Everyone knows who you are. Therefore, I will change your appearance. I will transform you, make you look like a different woman."

Suddenly the woman in front of her let out an empty laugh. "Ha! And what makes you think I'd want to live out my life as some sort of peasant? What makes you think I wouldn't rather die here?"

Blue was prepared for this question. "Because you're a fighter, Regina. You have never given up so easily. I can't imagine you really want to give up your life like this when you have one more chance to actually live."

Regina went over the fairy's offer in her mind. Blue wasn't only giving her another chance at life – if she were unrecognizable, she would be able to get close to Snow again. She could get her revenge after all. It wasn't too late. A genuine smile spread on her face. "Fine. I'll take it."

"Not so fast, Regina. As you're aware, there's always a catch. I will transform you into a woman your age… But once the transformation is complete, you will not age until you find a way to love yourself and others. Once you manage to do this, you will transform back into yourself and your inner clock will start going forward again."

Regina laughed again. "You're giving me eternal youth?! This just keeps getting better."

"You will find that isn't as great as it sounds. What's the point of eternal life if you don't have anyone to share it with? You'll find you have a hole in your heart, one that must be filled with love. Until then, you'll be miserable."

"So be it" said Regina. Not aging? That would give her plenty of time to get closer to Snow White. Even if she could never hurt her, she would be able to outlive Snow. She would be around when the precious queen died. Regina didn't even consider the possibility that she might start her inner clock again any time before that happened – she needed to see Snow suffer before she could ever be happy. She didn't mention any of this to Blue, of course. "Just do it."

Blue nodded. "Don't make me regret this," she said, and flicked her wrist again. Regina felt herself grow a few inches and saw the cuts and bruises on her arms fade away. "There. Good luck, Regina. Remember that happiness may be found in unexpected places," said Blue, before turning herself into her firefly-like fairy form again and flew away. Once she had left her sight, Regina rolled her eyes once more. "Right. Like in Snow White's death."

On her way to the nearest village, Regina ran into a well filled with water, in which she saw her new reflection for the first time. She smirked. Her hair was still dark, but dark brown rather than black and with a reddish undertone. It fell to her shoulders in curls. When she met her own eyes she found that they were hazel instead of the deep brown she was used to. Her face was a bit longer, and her slightly turned-up nose was covered in freckles. Overall, she looked quite handsome. Of course, Blue must have thought it was probably easier to find love when you were slightly attractive. "Why thank you, Blue," Regina murmured to herself.

The first thing Regina did in this village was post a letter to her father, in which she announced her suicide, pretending she'd actually gone through with it. It pained her to think of how her father would feel, knowing that she'd come to such a tragic end, but she could never face the man again anyway. She knew he'd try to hold a memorial service, and even though no one would show up for her, the news that she'd died would spread.

Then she figured that it would probably be best to get a horse. Since she had plenty of time to get back to the Enchanted Forest, however, she wasn't in any hurry in getting one and decided she might as well work for it. She applied for a job as waitress at a tavern, introducing herself as Wilma. This tavern became her home for the year that followed. Within six months she had made enough money to leave the place, what with all the tips she got from tipsy sailors, but she was reluctant to leave. Often times she found herself wondering if this was what her life could have been like, had her mother not been so pushy about climbing the class ladder. She felt like she owed it to the adventurous young girl she used to be to live this experience to the fullest. But the longer she stayed, the harder it became to keep up that wall she had built up for so many years to keep people out. Her colleagues disliked her, since she would never socialize with them. It was getting harder to deal with the male guests, too. She was very popular with them and would occasionally sleep with some of them, but only with those she found rather unattractive, in fear of meeting the person that would break her transformation. One day a familiar looking man came into the tavern and started flirting with her. When she saw the tattoo of a lion on his wrist, she nearly dropped her tray. This was the man Tinkerbell had said she was destined to be with. She had been too afraid to approach him back then, and now she was actually terrified. It was time to leave. The following day she quit her job, bought a horse, packed the few belongings that she had gathered over the past few months, and started on her journey back to the Enchanted Forest.

Riding a horse again for the first time in so many years was an amazing feeling. Regina had named her new steed Daniel, after the stable boy who had been responsible for her love for riding. They took the scenic route wherever they could, and Daniel willingly obeyed as she made him jump over fallen tree trunks and wade through streams. Their journey was filled with adventures and occasionally even helping people, which Regina grew to enjoy more than she liked to admit. She learned much about survival, the different kingdoms, and herself. And then, after two years, she finally stood before the borders of the kingdom that was once hers. Although she had been a little worried about border control, Snow and Charming seemed very confident that with Regina all threats to their kingdom had vanished, and she could enter without any trouble. In fact, she managed to get very close to the palace she once called her home. In the woods surrounding the palace she found a massive hollow tree trunk, much like a cave. Now that she was used to living in the wilderness, she decided to make this her and Daniel's home. Now quite a skilled hunter, she lived from the royal livestock. Occasionally she would sell some of it at a village market. The money she earned she used to go drinking in one of the local bars. Here she would pick up many rumours about the royal family.

For example, 18 years after the queen's banishments, princess Emma had birthed a son. It was quite the scandal, as she was not known to be married and the father quickly disappeared. Although the royal family claimed that it was true love and he was a heroic knight who died a tragic death right after they had sealed their marriage in private, the villagers thought they knew better: since barely any battles were being fought in this realm anymore, the chances of knights dying heroically were quite slim. What's more, said knight was known to be a regular client at the local brothel, but suddenly disappeared right after the announcement of the pregnancy, probably eliminated by the royal family. Regina tried to keep up with the whereabouts of the royal family as well as she could, always hoping that perhaps Snow White had died, or she would hear something that gave her a chance at getting her revenge. After the years passed, though, she wasn't quite sure anymore whether she was doing it out of hate or out of habit.

The days all blurred together, and if she didn't see the people in the villages aging she'd think that she was reliving the same day over and over again. On the rare occasions she's catch a glimpse of the royal family, she'd seen Snow pass her own age, and then grow into an actual grandma. She was now almost sixty years old, had grey hair and a wrinkled face. Regina wished more and more each day that she'd age as well. It would probably take at least another 28 years before Snow would die, and then what was she going to do with her life? The kingdom would still belong to the Charming dynasty, and she was cursed to witness this forever, from her lonely tree trunk. She had already lost her precious horse, her only friend, and had taken on a new auburn steed named Florence. How many horses was she going to have to go through before she finally met her end?

Then one day in the middle of summer, twenty-eight years after her banishment,something happened. Regina was grooming Florence when she heard the approaching sound of hooves beating on the forest ground, accompanied by a desperate cry for help. When she turned her head she saw a horse galloping towards her. On its back was a boy, clasping himself to the horse's manes, clearly not in control of the animal. It was the prince, Henry. Regina had spied on him many times as he was walking through the court yards with his mother. A child of the royal family on a wild horse… Was fate mocking her? This was the exact same situation she'd been in all those years ago. The moment that had changed, ruined, her life. Perhaps this time it was different, though. Maybe this time it would have the opposite effect: wouldn't saving that boy bring her close to the royal family? Regina mounted her unsaddled horse and urged her to gallop as fast as she could towards the boy, yelling "Come on, Florence!" Once she had caught up with him, she yelled "Give me your hand!" and pulled the boy onto her own horse. She stopped Daniel and helped the boy get off her horse. "Are you okay?"

"Yes! You've saved my life. Thank you." The boy was panting. His hair was a mess and his face was red.

Regina grabbed the royal horse's reigns and gave them back to the boy. "What a beautiful horse you have. And… is that the royal crest on its saddle pad?" She tried her best to sound amazed.

The boy looked nervous. "It is. I'm kind of the prince. But I'm not supposed to be riding on my own out here. Please don't tell anyone?"

Regina's heart sank. Clearly this child was not going to introduce her to his family. She curtsied. "It is an honour to meet you, my majesty."

Henry clearly wasn't much impressed with courtly manners, though. "Just call me Henry. What's your name?"

"It's W- Florence," said Regina, remembering that she had used the name Wilma when she had been undercover with Snow once before.

"Florence? I thought that was your horse's name? You were shouting it when you came after me." Henry eyed her curiously.

"My horse? Oh no, I was just encouraging myself… I do that sometimes." Regina tried to give an embarrassed smile.

Henry laughed. "Well, Florence, you seem a skilled equestrian."

"Thank you. I've had a good teacher."

Henry sighed "I haven't been so lucky. My mum – well, my grandparents, really, don't even want me to ride. But I'm a prince, I'm supposed to do things like this!"

Regina nodded understandingly. "So you decided to try it today." The boy blushed and looked ashamed. Regina giggled "I was exactly the same at your age, sweetheart."

Henry's face brightened. "Really?"

"Uhu."

"Well… could you teach me?" Henry looked up at her with begging eyes. "To ride a horse, I mean. I am able to sneak out quite regularly."

Regina hesitated. "Behind your family's back? I'm not sure that's best…"

Henry pouted. "Please? You're the most skilled rider I've ever seen!"

"Alright then." What did she have to lose, really? Even if something extreme happened like they captured her, it would mean getting closer to the royal family. "When can we start?"

"Tuesdays at 10? I'll meet you here."

"Sure," said Regina, and they shook hands to seal the deal. Once Henry was out of sight, she patted her steed's neck. "Guess we're going to have to come up with a new name for you, huh? How about Ruby?" Ruby neighed in agreement.


	2. 2: First Meeting

The following Tuesday, they met at 10 as agreed. Henry came without a horse this time, as they had agreed that he'd better practice on the kind-hearted Ruby. Regina had laid out some trees for him to jump over, but it was soon clear that he had to start from the very beginning, so they spent a lot of time on trotting. In the lessons that followed, however, Henry made significant progress. Regina was growing quite fond of the boy. After each lesson they'd share some fruit or bread, sitting in the grass, just talking like friends or perhaps family members. If you were to see them like that, you wouldn't believe that both of them were royals, and even arch enemies.

Henry would talk about his family a lot, and Regina felt like she was really getting to know them. He especially spoke much of his mother, the princess. According to Henry, she was living quite a boring princess life. Apparently Snow and Charming had grown so tired of fighting for their happy ending that now that they had it, they were clinging to family life. They were living in some sort of peaceful bubble. Henry couldn't even learn how to swordfight, because "their family was done fighting." Henry wasn't too happy about that, though, and he suspected that his mother wasn't, either. Regina had to refrain herself from rolling her eyes every time he talked about the Charming couple. How could those two have become so dull?!

Months passed, and summer turned into autumn, then winter. Regina always looked forward to their Thursday meetings, as she felt like when she was with the child, she was excited and not so much frozen in time. On one particularly cold day Henry was jumping over fallen tree trunks while Regina stood by the side line with a massive, proud smile on her face, yelling "Great! You're really talented, Henry!" when she suddenly heard a woman's voice behind her saying "Isn't he?" When she turned around she looked into the amused eyes of princess Emma. She was wearing a white fur cloak, and her long blonde hair was draped over her shoulder in her signature braid. Regina gasped. "Your highness… I didn't…." Regina didn't really know what she didn't, so she just dropped into a curtsy.

Emma smiled. "Don't be shy, you're allowed to take credit. I don't believe my son would just magically know how to ride a horse without a good teacher – though I can't say I have much experience with learning such a thing." She held out her hand. "I'm princess Emma."

Regina curtsied again, took Emma's hand and kissed it. This made the princess giggle. "I meant for you to shake it, but that's alright. What's your name?"

"Excuse me, your majesty," muttered Regina. "My name's Florence."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "Florence. Sounds royal. You don't happen to be a member of our court? If so, forgive me- I encounter so many people every day…"

"No, no, your majesty. I'm quite a commoner. My mother just wanted me to have a good name." said Regina with a shy smile.

Henry had finally noticed his mother's presence and dismounted Ruby. "Mum!" He came running towards his mother and his coach. "Mum, what are you doing here?"

Emma shrugged. "You think I wouldn't notice that my son sneaks out every Tuesday at half past nine and comes back with dirty clothes? I've been watching you two for the past couple of weeks."

"Listen, this was all my idea. Don't blame her. But I'm a prince, and I should be able to ride a horse, okay?!" Henry said this so quickly he was out of breath.

"Okay," said Emma.

Henry clearly didn't see this answer coming. "Wait, what?"

Emma smiled at her son. "I agree. A prince should be able to ride a horse. And as I said, I have been watching you two for a couple of weeks. You seem to have found a great teacher." She smiled generously at Regina, who felt an odd tingly sensation in her stomach. It was so strange to have members of the royal family be kind to her.

"The reason I decided to reveal myself today was to offer you a job, miss Florence. You can continue the lessons with my son at the palace, in return for fair payment. You will be assigned a proper living area, much more comfortable than that tree stump you live in, I assure you – and yes I know about that," the princess concluded with a wink.

Regina realized she was gaping, and tried to regain her wits. She was invited to live in the palace again? In the home of her enemy? "But Snow… The queen and the king, Henry has told me they would not let him ride?"

Emma's smile fell. "Henry was correct. They're not fond of any such knightly activities. As you can imagine, they've been through much because of the terrible evil queen. But that devil woman luckily died years ago." These words hurt Regina more than she'd expected, but she tried her best to keep a straight face. Emma continued: "They've gone far, too far if you ask me, in their quest for a peaceful life. I was raised in a very secluded, safe environment and feel this has not always been best for my development. I wish to raise my own son differently… make him more fearless."

Regina nodded. "Riding horses is a great step in the right direction, then. It taught me much about freedom and responsibility as a young girl."

Emma gave her a curious look. "I would love to hear more about such a childhood. Perhaps you could join me for tea some time. If you take my job offer, that is?"

Regina curtsied again. "I'd be honoured, my princess."

And so it happened that twenty four hours later, Regina was back at the gates of the palace she had once called her home. She had stood before these gates first as the new wife of the king, but also as an 18 year old girl whose boyfriend had just been killed by her mother, and who wanted nothing more than to break free from her mother's reins. When she'd first stood here she had been bitter, but still innocent. The isolation and loneliness that this place had offered her had been responsible for her further moral decline and had played a huge part in her becoming the evil queen. It was so strange to be back…


	3. 3: Dinner

Ugh writing is taking me super long bc examsssss so bear with me please. Anyway here's chapter 3 – please feel free to leave feedback so I know whether I should continue the story + how to improve it

 **Chapter 3: Dinner**

Regina was welcomed by the head of the maids, who introduced herself as Irene. Suddenly Regina realized she recognized her: the now elderly woman had been one of Snow's maids when Regina still lived here. The maid showed her to her quarters. For a simple equestrian coach, they were quite luxurious. She had her own bedroom with a twin bed, a little washing room attached to that, and another room with a comfortable sofa and a wall covered in books. "I do hope you like reading" said Irene.

"I do, actually," said Regina, who had picked up quite a few books in the past few years in an attempt to soothe her lonely heart.

Irene smiled. "Then I'm sure you'll feel at home here. Your meal will be served at 6 – the princess has requested your presence at the royal table for tonight, and perhaps other nights as well – otherwise you can eat with the rest of the employees in the dining hall in the west wing of the palace. Your maid will arrive in about half an hour – there was a bit of a mix up in schedules as it was announced that you were coming only yesterday evening."

Regina stared at Irene, trying to take in everything she was saying. "The princess wants to eat with me? And I have a maid?"

"Yes and yes," said Irene, winking at her. "You'll find that even employees are treated quite royally in the Charming's palace."

Of course. Snow and Charming were just too good for this world, weren't they? Ugh. "So… do the maids have maids too, then?" asked Regina, half joking, though she wouldn't be surprised if the answer was yes.

Irene giggled. "No, unfortunately not, miss. But we do have very flexible working hours to make sure we have plenty of time to take care of ourselves. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go supervise the preparation of the royal meal. You've come on a good day – we're having quite the buffet of wild swan tonight," and with another wink she left the room. Regina sighed. Wild swan? As if she hadn't had plenty of that during these past few years of living on the royal livestock.

She decided to kill the time with some reading, so she grabbed a large book from one of the shelves and settled on the sofa. The book was called _Once Upon A Time,_ and as she read the introduction she rolled her eyes. _This is the story of how Queen Snow and King David heroically defeated the Evil Queen._ "We'll see about that…" she muttered as she turned the page. The book was filled with pictures, and turned out to tell her story as much as the Charmings'. When she reached the part where Daniel, her first love, was brutally killed by her mother, she felt her eyes tear up. Suddenly there was a knock on the door, and another maid entered, carrying a tray with soap and towels.

"Good afternoon, miss, I'm Ashley, your maid." The young girl had and an innocent face. She eyed Regina curiously. "Um.. Are you okay?"

"Oh yes, I was just.. touched by this story," replied Regina, and she held up the book to put it back on the shelf.

" _Once Upon A Time!_ Oh, my mother used to read that to me! It is a wonderful story, and even more wonderful because it's true. I feel honoured to work for such heroes, don't you?"

Regina tried her best not to look disgusted. "Of course," she mumbled.

"Anyway, dinner's in an hour. Would you like me to help you bathe?" Ashley continued in that same enthusiastic tone.

"Bathe?" Regina shook her head. "No, thank you, I'll do that myself."

"Alright, I'll leave you to it, then," replied Ashley as she set the tray on the ground. "I'll show you to the dining hall in 45 minutes."

When she was gone, Regina grabbed the tray and brought it to the bathroom. Interestingly, the palace now had tap water. Snow must have gotten someone with magic to install it for her. Regina undressed slowly, then immersed herself in the bathwater. She sighed as the comfortably warm liquid came in touch with her cool skin. Even before her banishment, she hadn't let any servant bathe her for years– it had a lot to do with those walls she'd built up. She was at her most vulnerable, lying there naked and fully relaxed. Holding her breath, Regina let her head sink under water. What a strange life I'm living, she thought in those few quiet seconds before she had to take another breath.

After about half an hour, Regina got out of the tub and started preparing herself for mealtime. She got dressed, put her long hair in a simple braid and applied some of the powder that she'd found in the bathroom to her face. God, how she missed doing her hair and makeup with the sweep of her hand through magic. She'd barely put the brush down when Ashley entered the room.

"Hi again! You may follow me to the dining hall." Then she saw what Regina was wearing and looked her up and down. "That's a very… interesting outfit. "

Regina, realizing that she didn't have any clothing appropriate for dining with the princess, had decided to go with her black riding uniform. It was much in the Evil Queen's style, but it was the most fancy thing she owned, and she felt a strong urge to look good for the princess… so here was to hoping Snow and her sappy prince wouldn't be there to recognize it.

Regina smiled awkwardly. "Black's my colour. I'm afraid I don't own any appropriate evening gowns. You don't think princess will mind, do you?"

"Oh no!" Ashley shook her head and urged Regina to walk with her. "The princess is a very kind lady. If anything, she'll probably get you a new gown to wear!"

They stopped before two large wooden doors that each carried the kingdom's crest. Regina recognized them all too well, and had had a hard time pretending that she didn't know of a faster route to get here. "Well, here we are," said Ashley, still in that upbeat tone but now slightly out of breath.

Regina took a deep breath and pushed open the heavy wooden doors. The dining hall was even more majestic than she remembered it to be. The table was filled with bowls containing various fruits and vegetables and the middle was covered with a great scale, upon which lied a gigantic roasted swan. Altogether it looked like a feast, and yet there was only one person at the table. Upon further inspection Regina noticed that there were only two plates set, and two wine cups. Apparently she was having dinner with only the princess.

She curtsied. "Good evening, your majesty."

"Good evening, Florence, do sit down" said Emma with a bright smile as she gestured towards the empty seat across from hers. She was wearing an elaborate red gown that complemented her pale skin. Regina suddenly felt very aware of her outdoor clothing, but the princess didn't seem to mind it at all. "I like your outfit," she said after looking Regina up and down. "You'll have to excuse Henry, he wasn't feeling too well tonight."

"Oh, is he okay?" Regina was immediately worried, which surprised her. She must be taking to the boy more than she'd realized. _So, I now officially care about Snow White's grandson…_

"He'll be fine!" Emma replied quickly. "He had a stomach ache, so he wasn't hungry. His maids are taking care of him."

"Wish him well from me."

Emma nodded cheerfully. "Will do."

"And… your parents? Do you not usually dine with them?" Regina asked hesitantly.

"Oh, I do, but they're currently on a business trip to the kingdom of Arendelle – there's a royal wedding there, you see."

"Oh." For a moment there was a silence, and Regina shifted awkwardly in her seat. For royal chairs, these things were really uncomfortable.

"Shall we have our meal?" asked Emma, breaking the silence. "Help yourself to anything you'd like." She reached for the carafe filled with wine and poured both of them a glass.

Regina looked on in surprise. "I always imagined royals to have servants to fill their glasses."

Emma shrugged. "We do have them, but I decided to give them the evening off now that my parents aren't here." She reached for a piece of bread, and started breaking it with her pale, elegant hands. Regina found herself fascinated by her motions, but when the woman caught her staring she quickly glanced away.

"I see you don't have guards, either. Quite bold, as you're all alone in a room with a stranger?"

This made Emma giggle again. "Are you implying I should be afraid of you?" She looked at Regina as if that was the most ridiculous idea she'd heard in a while. The former evil queen couldn't help but smile.

"No, I don't think so," she said, and she had a strange feeling that she meant it.

"See? No guards needed."

Regina raised her eyebrows. "No guards needed because I just _told_ you that you shouldn't fear me? I'm sorry, princess, but you wouldn't last a week in the harsh world outside of this palace."

That last comment clearly sparked resilience in the princess. "I'm sorry to hear you underestimate me, Florence. I have a skill, a superpower if you will, that tells me exactly when people are lying. You're not. And what makes you think there are no guards positioned right outside this door, who'd storm in at any alarming sound?"

"Point taken," said Regina, and she took a large sip from her wine.

In fact, both of them made sure they kept their wine coming. With each glass they grew more comfortable with each other. The conversation quickly went from discussing Henry and his lessons to all sorts of topics. The princess was curious to know the equestrian's life story, and Regina, keeping Emma's superpower in mind, tried her best to come up with some basic facts that didn't give anything away about who she really was. Then Emma opened up about her own life.

"I just feel like I'm not even living, you know? I know what's expected of me and I do my best to be the way my parents and the people want me to be, but my heart isn't in it." She stared in the distance thoughtfully, then continued. "Forgive me for sharing so much with you. You're not going to tell anyone, are you? I don't need rumours of my discontent spreading."

Regina, who hadn't had wine as good as this in ages and was now quite tipsy, put her hand on Emma's. Compared to the gentle hands of the other women, hers were rough from living in the woods. "Of course not, your majesty."

Emma stared at their hands for a while, then sighed. "All I've ever been allowed to be was a princess, all I've ever been allowed to dream of is to become a queen. The thing is, I don't even think I'd make a good one. How could I, when I don't even _want_ to be one? But what else am I going to do?"

So, Emma was in the same situation that she had been all those years ago. Regina wished she could tell the worried woman that she knew exactly how that felt. "You're like… like that swan."

"That swan we just ate?"

Regina sighed. "No, of course not. The Swan from the story. Didn't your parents ever tell you the tale of the ugly duckling?"

Emma looked puzzled "Not that I recall, no."

"Once upon a time…" Regina started, remembering the book she'd picked up earlier. "Well, I don't remember the full story, but once upon a time there was a little duckling. He's bullied, doesn't fit in because he looks different. Once grown up, he's so miserable he decides to throw himself into a flock of swans, expecting to be killed. But, much to his surprise, the swans take him in. Turns out all this time he wasn't a duckling, he was a swan."

Emma raised her eyebrows "Are you saying I'm ugly?"

This invoked an eyeroll from Regina. "No, of course not. I'm saying that maybe you're miserable because you don't belong here, and maybe you'd be surprised by how well you'd do if you'd find your place elsewhere."

"Hmm.." Emma thought about that for a while. "I guess that makes sense. Doesn't matter anyway. It's not like I'm going anywhere," she concluded with a sad smile.

Regina gave her a pitiful look. "Perhaps. You don't _have_ to get away in order to make your life your own, though. Queens are rulers, which means you'll have to sacrifice, of course, but it also means you're in charge.

"Where did you get all this wisdom?" Emma asked curiously, her head tilted to the side.

"Oh, you know… I like to read." Regina said quickly before drinking the last sip of wine in her glass. She realized that coming up with believable answers was getting more difficult, as the alcohol was fogging her brain. It was time to leave. Curiously, the princess insisted on walking her to her chamber. "I like to take a walk after dinner," she said.

Once they had reached Regina's chambers, they stood before the doors in an awkward silence for a moment. "So, um, thanks for walking me home, said Regina with a grin. Emma giggled.

"Hey, would you mind if I come take a look at your training with Henry tomorrow?"

Regina, who had just turned her back to the princess to open the door to her chambers, looked up. "Oh, no, I'm sure he'd like that, "she said, sounding surprised.

Emma gave her a shy smile. "Perhaps you could teach me a thing or two about riding as well."

"Your wish is my command, your majesty." Regina curtsied. Emma shook her head. "You get extra chivalrous when you're tipsy, it seems. You don't have to curtsy for your friend."

"You're my friend?"

"Of course! If you want me to, that is."

Regina swallowed. It had been so long since anyone had considered her a friend… Now that she thought of it, she'd never really had one. She tried to shrug casually. "Sure."

After wishing the princess good night, Regina went to straight to her bed. Laying on top of her sheets, she thought over the events of the day and, especially, the night. Was it her tipsy brain, or did Emma genuinely make her feel happy? How weird that such a beautiful person had come out of such a brat.


	4. 4: Falling

LONG time no see, but here I am! Friendly reminder that any feedback is most welcome! xx

 **Chapter 4: Falling**

Regina barely slept that night, so when Ashley knocked on her door to wake her up, she was met with a loud groan. Her bad mood quickly disappeared at the sight of her breakfast, though. There were pancakes with a bowl of syrup and a large goblet of milk. Although she wasn't much of a sweet tooth, anything so luxurious being brought to her made her excited after having to take care of herself in the woods for so long.

Straight after breakfast it was time for her lesson with Henry. Knowing that Emma was going to be there made her especially self-conscious, and it took her unusually long to get ready. She'd already worn her prettiest riding outfit yesterday, so she was forced to go with something more casual, but that made her spend the more time on her hair and makeup.

When she finally arrived at the stable, however, she was met not only by her pupil and his mother. There was a third woman standing in front of the door, and Regina immediately recognized her. Snow White. As she approached the three royals, she managed to keep a straight face, and once she stood before them she even gave a shy smile. "Your majesty, I didn't know you'd be here. It's an honour." Regina bowed, but although she knew it was appropriate to kiss the queen's hand, she couldn't bring herself to do it.

Snow gave her an icy smile. "It is my custom to personally welcome new employees." Regina glanced at Emma, who looked very tense, and realized she wasn't the only one who felt that the atmosphere was strange.

"My parents have returned from their journey to Arendelle just this morning," said Emma, with an almost apologetic look. "And as I have told you, they aren't fond of the idea of Henry riding horses just yet, so I invited them to come see for themselves what good it does for him, and that you're a skilled teacher. My father was occupied, but I trust you will show my mother that she has nothing to worry about."

Henry looked up at Regina with a big, expectant smile. Suddenly the former queen felt a lot of pressure. "Of course, your majesty," she said while curtsying again, for Emma this time. "Shall we get to it, Henry?"

They started off with a calm trot, but as Henry was doing really well, they soon moved on to jumping over obstacles. Although the professional obstacles in the paddock were quite different from the fallen trees they used to practice on, Henry took them like a champ, and Regina couldn't help but be proud. But as she was shouting instructions at Henry, she heard Snow whispering behind her. She couldn't follow every word, but what she understood was something along the lines of "How do you know you can trust a woman you found in the woods?!" When Emma protested that she refused to be as paranoid as her mother, Snow dropped her voice even more so Regina could barely hear anything anymore, although she did catch something that sounded a lot like "Evil Queen" and "disguise". Regina guessed that Snow was telling her daughter the story of how, many years ago, Regina had met Snow, by accident, while she was disguised as some peasant; and as Regina was wounded, Snow had actually taken care of her. Either Snow was extremely paranoid and thought she saw the Evil Queen everywhere, or she was incredibly perceptive and saw straight through Regina's disguise, just as she had all those years ago.

After the lesson, the royals took off back to their castle, Snow White taking the lead. Regina was left to take care of the horse. As she was brushing it, however, she suddenly heard Emma's voice behind her.

"Hey, Florence, do you have some time left?"

Regina, who still wasn't used to the fact that she went by the name Florence, didn't respond right away.

"Florence?"

"Oh! Sorry, lost in thought," Regina looked up and smiled apologetically at the princess. "Well, as my job is finished for the day, I have all the time in the world. Why do you ask?"

"Didn't we agree that you were going to teach me how to ride yesterday? Or is my hungover mind making things up?"

This made Regina laugh out loud. "Hungover, princess?"

Emma gave her an annoyed look, but it was clear that she didn't mean it. "That's beside the point. Will you teach me or not?"

"Of course," said Regina. Then she glanced at the princess's garments, and added "You might want to change into something more comfortable first."

"Oh. Of course." Emma blushed "The thing is, I don't think I have anything fitting. Could I perhaps borrow anything of yours?"

"You don't own anything besides dresses? Your life must be uncomfortable."

Emma shrugged, clearly embarrassed.

"Well, of course you can borrow anything of mine, if you're not looking for luxury."

"That's kind of the point, isn't it?" said Emma with a cheeky smile, before asking "Shall we go to your rooms then?"

Once they were back in her room, Regina reached into her closet and picked out a set of brown, leather trousers with a black top and fur vest, as well as a pair of black boots. "I'm out of proper riding clothes at the moment, but these'll do" she said as she handed them to the princess, who accepted them gratefully. "Black, again. That really is your colour, isn't it?"

"I find it suits me. Are you sure you want to change here, and not in your own room?"

"It'd take much more time to go all the way to my quarters. Besides, we're just women amongst each other, aren't we?"

"Right, I'll leave you to it, then" said Regina, and she pointed Emma in the direction of her washing room. This section was not closed off by a door, though, and Regina had to make quite an effort to resist the urge to turn around and watch her new friend undress.

She was trying to distract herself with a book, when Emma suddenly called "Hey Florence, could you help me with my corset?"

Regina walked over to the princess, who was now standing in a corset and panties only, and helped her unlace the uncomfortable piece of clothing. Before she could turn away, Emma took off the overbust corset and revealed her fully naked upper body to Regina, who quickly looked away.

Emma giggled. "I thought they'd be less prude outside of the palace walls, but it seems to be quite the opposite. I'm quite used to undressing in front of my employees. What's the matter with you?"

Regina, who looked down in an attempt to hide her blush, murmured something like "I don't know, princess, I guess they- we, don't really undress for someone. Unless, of course, we are looking to engage with them in a certain way." She regretted this the moment it had come out of her mouth - the princess really didn't need to know that she was thinking about sex right now.

Emma didn't seem bothered, though. She went on changing, and Regina only dared to look at her again when she was fully clothed. The trousers were slightly too short for her, while the top looked a bit too large. Although the dresses she usually wore were flattering, this outfit showed her slender figure in a whole new light. In fact, she looked very lean, and Regina noticed that her arms were especially muscular. "What does a princess need such muscular arms for?"

"Oh, I like to exercise when I'm alone. I guess it's a bit of a coping mechanism. It makes me feel powerful, and in control."

Regina nodded understandingly. "Makes sense. So, how about I show you how to be in control of a horse?"

Emma took a deep breath. "Right. Before I start to regret this." She took Regina by the arm, as she was used to doing with her closest maids, and together they walked back to the stables.

Emma wasn't as quick of a learner as Henry was, as she was much more afraid, but Regina managed to comfort her enough to get her to improve every time they trained together. She taught Emma three times a week, and Henry four – he'd train every day if he could, but of course he had other duties as a prince. Regina killed the rest of her time by reading and going to the local taverns. Emma hadn't invited her to dinner anymore, but Regina suspected that Snow was a huge factor in this. A month passed by, and Regina did a lot of self-reflecting over this period of time. She found that when she thought of, or even looked at Snow, she didn't feel even half of the anger she used to feel. And with her new friend, and a boy to look after in a way, she actually felt less alone than she ever had. Come to think of it, this was the closest to happiness she had been in ages. There was one thing that was troubling her, though. Deep down, Regina knew that she was falling hard for the princess. But every time she was close to admitting this to herself, she remembered what the Blue fairy had said would happen if she ever found true love. Then she'd have to remind herself that she was the big bad Evil Queen, and she simply didn't do love. The real reason she denied herself of love, though, was because after all these years she still didn't think she deserved it.


	5. 5: Royal Ball

Chapter 5

One afternoon Regina found a package delivered into her room, with a little note attached to it.

" _I know black is your colour, but I think this'd suit you. Meet me for dinner at 7! -Emma"_

When she unwrapped the bundle, she found a piece of deep red satin. As she held it up, it turned out to be a dress. It had long sleeves and was embellished around the cleavage. It was absolutely beautiful. Regina had seen Emma wear it before, and had already admired it then. Although normally she wouldn't care about hand-me-downs – she was still royalty, after all- she stroked the soft fabric and smiled to herself. Oh, how she'd missed wearing such elaborate pieces of clothing.

Although it was a few hours before she'd have to meet the princess for dinner, Regina couldn't resist putting on the dress already. It was a little too short on her, and a little tight around the bust –had she had her 'real' body back, it would've fit perfectly. Regina did a couple of twirls in front of the mirror, checking herself out. Sometimes when she looked in the mirror she wished she'd have her old, familiar face staring back at her, but not now. It was much easier to pretend she was a different person this way – someone who hadn't screwed up her life already. Something was missing, though, and she decided to try out one of the elaborate hairdos she used to wear. Being out of practice, this took her ages, and by the time she was fully satisfied with her look it was about time to go to the dining hall already.

Once again the table was only set for two.

"I knew red would look good on you," said Emma cheerfully.

Regina smiled. "I agree. To what do I owe the pleasure of getting to borrow your gown, though?"

"Borrow? You better keep it," said Emma with a wink. "It looks much better on you."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were flirting with me," said Regina jokingly as she took a seat. Such informal language had become the standard between them over the past two months. She looked up at Emma, expecting an equally witty reply, but the princess didn't say anything. She just smiled at her. Regina swallowed and quickly said "I assume we will not be joined by your family once again?", without breaking their stare.

The mention of this topic changed Emma's face. "Oh, no. I waited until my parents were gone to invite you again. And Henry, well, after the amount of wine we drank last time I didn't think it'd be appropriate to have him here."

"Right," said Regina, as she reached for the goblet of wine. "So, do your parents still think I'm the evil queen in disguise?"

Emma frowned. "I never told you about that, did I?"

Regina could've slapped slap herself. This was exactly how it had gone wrong with Snow, back when she was disguised as Wilma: she'd said too much, implying that she knew more than she should've. "No. I overheard bits and pieces of one of your conversations, and knowing how obsessed Snow still is with that- that awful witch, that's what I made out of it." This wasn't a lie, was it? Although Regina only half believed what Emma had told her about her superpower, she wasn't going to take any risks. Luckily Emma did not see right through her as Snow had done back then, and simply nodded.

"I think my mother's slowly starting to understand that you're trustworthy, as you've been here for two months and nothing bad or strange has happened yet. All you've done is made Henry happier – and me, too, if I'm honest. Your company has really been an effective cure to my loneliness." Emma smiled, but not generously as she usually would; it was a rather shy smile this time.

For a moment, Regina thought something was wrong with her heart, for it suddenly felt so strange in her chest. But as she was pretty sure nobody had taken it, it must be the princess' words that were doing this to her. "I have to say you and Henry have been doing the same for me."

Emma raised her eyebrows. "Is that so?" When Regina nodded, she continued, "It must be lonely living in a tree in the middle of a forest, of course. How did you end up there"

Regina shrugged and shifted in her seat, clearly uncomfortable. "That's a long story."

"I've got plenty of time," replied Emma, giving Regina her most encouraging look. "Florence, we've been spending so much time together for the past two months, and I barely know anything about your background – which does not make you seem more trustworthy in the eyes of my mother, believe me."

"Alright then," said Regina with a sigh. "My family and I, we weren't very close. My mother.. my mother left me when I was very young and my father was a drunk. So I ran away. When even your parents let you down, you'll find it hard to trust people, so I figured that I was better off on my own." She didn't know how to tell the story of her life without letting shine through who she really was, so she'd made up blatant lies. And so she was about to find out that Emma really did have that superpower she was talking about.

"You're not telling the truth, are you? Not all of it, at least."

Regina was shocked and it took a moment for her to regain her wits. "Your superpower, huh?"

Emma nodded.

"Well. My past… it's painful, more painful than what I've just described. I'm afraid you wouldn't look at me the same way if I told you." Regina looked up, hopeful to find that the princess took this as an answer – none of it was lied now.

Emma took her hand again and said "You can tell me anything, Florence. I wouldn't judge you, I promise." But when she saw that her friend wasn't going to crack, she let it go. "Maybe some other time. I'll break through your walls, Florence, I swear!" she said cheerfully before taking another sip of wine.

Regina forced a smile, but she knew Emma could tell she didn't mean it. "So, to change the subject, I didn't just give you that ball gown so you could look pretty at dinner with me, you know."

Regina raised her eyebrows. "Then what's it for?"

With great enthusiasm, Emma asked "Have you ever been to a ball before?" Luckily for Regina, she didn't wait for an answer to that question. Instead she went on with her enthusiastic tone, describing that there'd be a royal ball soon and that she'd be more than happy to invite her new friend. "Balls have been kind of boring lately, because there's always the same people and the same not-so-charming suitors, but I though having a friend there might make it a lot more exciting!"

Her friend did not seem to share her excitement, however. "Balls are for royals, not for someone like me."

"Hence the dress! Nobody will know you're just an employee." When she saw her friend still looked hesitant, Emma added a "Pleeeease?", with a pout that did it.

"Alright then" said Regina, and before she knew it the princess had her arms around her neck, hugging her.

"I promise you it'll be a wonderful experience!" said Emma as she released her friend. "It's tomorrow, by the way."

Regina, still recovering from the shock of Emma hugging her, now nearly choked on a piece of veal. "Tomorrow?!"

Emma laughed out loud, and Regina couldn't help but smile at the lovely sound. "Yes, tomorrow. Maybe I should've told you that before you ate that whole pile of meat, though."

This invoked a deathly look from Regina. "Are you saying I should diet, Swan?"

"Oh no, not at all," said Emma innocently. "So you're really sticking with that nickname, huh?"

"I guess so, Swan. Good job changing the subject" said Regina with her sarcastic voice that Emma knew all to well by now. "But if it's tomorrow, I better leave now. Catch some beauty sleep..." She pushed back her chair and stood up carefully, fully conscious of her dress that she had to keep well until tomorrow. "Thank you for dinner."

"You're most welcome," said Emma, who had now also risen from her seat. For a moment they stood awkwardly in front of each other, but then Regina, once again encouraged by the alcohol that was flowing through her blood by now, put her arms around the princess as if that was how they'd usually say goodbye – while, in fact, this was the first time.

"See! Breaking your walls down already!" said Emma, although she was clearly flabbergasted.

All Regina did in return was roll her eyes before she turned around and walked out of the doors. "Hey!" yelled Emma behind her. "Whatever happened to me walking you home?"

Regina smiled to herself before she turned back. "Well, princess, try to keep up." She held out her arm, and Emma took it. They walked back to Regina's rooms together, where they hugged goodbye once more.

* * *

Regina was standing awkwardly in the corner of the ballroom, observing the people that went by, dancing from one social circle to the other. Occasionally she'd recognize some of the members of court, and it was actually rather interesting to see what everyone looked like after these 28 years. She wished Emma would be there already, though, but she knew it was custom for the hosts to make a grand entrance later on in the evening. While she was standing there, musing on these and other things, she suddenly realized she didn't know what the occasion of the ball was. Unless… Wasn't it 29 years ago today, the day that she was banished? The Charmings couldn't seriously still be celebrating that every year, could they?

Suddenly a man in elaborate costume blew on a horn, and shouted "Introducing her majesty Princess Emma and her royal son, prince Henry!"

Regina looked up, and saw Emma and Henry descending the grand staircase, holding hands. Both of them looked handsome: Henry in his white uniform, Emma in a sparkly white dress. The sight of them together filled Regina's heart with joy, and when Emma caught her eye, she gave her a bright smile.

Then the man with the horn drew her attention to him again, as he shouted "And now, the two heroes who are responsible for this celebration! Twenty-nine years after they masterfully defeated the Evil Queen and banished her…" Regina's smile fell. "Our beloved king Charming and queen Snow!" The monarchs were met with a thunderous applause, which Regina joined in on to not appear suspicious, but when the people around her started chanting "Hurray to the king and queen! Hurray, hurray!" she couldn't push herself to follow them. Instead she decided to walk over to the banquet and grab a goblet of wine. She couldn't believe that after all this time, they were _still_ celebrating her defeat so elaborately, as if she hadn't been a real person but rather some sort of beast. And although she wasn't willing to admit it to herself, to think that people were still so happy to have her gone broke her heart.

"Drinking already?"

Regina was startled, but quickly regained her wits when she looked into the grey eyes of princess Emma. "Isn't that what these balls are all about?"

Emma laughed. "It is. That, and dancing."

"Right. Since I can't dance, I'm sticking to the drinking" said Regina before taking another sip.

"What do you mean you can't dance?!"

Regina shrugged. "I've never really done it." She thought about the countless balls she'd been to where she'd just sat in a corner while her husband danced with his precious daughter.

Emma seemed to think this was almost a crime. "You've never danced?" she said with disbelief. When Regina shook her head, the princess bowed a little and held out a hand. "May I have this dance, milady?"

Regina looked at her with disdain.

"Come on, Florence, it's easy! All you have to do is follow me."

All this got her was another eyeroll from Regina. "Emma, seriously. I'm not going to dance, especially not with the princess, in front of all these people."

"We can practice in a quiet corner, no one will notice!" said Emma as she took her by the arm and dragged her to a corner of the ballroom behind a large pillar. Then she bowed and held out her hand once more, and this time Regina took it with a sigh. "Fine."

Emma grabbed Regina's other hand and put it on her shoulder. Then she put her hand on Regina's waist and put her left foot forward. Regina, however, also put her left foot forward, and stood on Emma's toes. The inexperienced dancer was clearly embarrassed about it, but Emma simply laughed it off. "That's bound to happen in the beginning! Let's try again – feel me steer you."

The second attempt went much better than the first, and before long Regina felt that she didn't have to think about the dancing as much – it just happened. Emma lead her around and around in circles in their little corner of the room, and eventually even let Regina do spins and twists. Although they knew they were surrounded by people, those were mainly blocked out of their sight by the pillar, and it felt like they were alone in the world. And so when the string quartet started playing a slow, romantic song, they didn't hesitate and took a step towards each other. Emma wrapped her arms around Regina's neck, who drew the princess's waist closer to her in return. They slow danced for a while, completely unaware of their surroundings, staring each other in the eyes. Then Emma put her hands to Regina's face and pulled it closer to hers. Before she knew it, Regina felt the sweet taste of the princess's lips on hers. She felt a rush going through her body as if she was going to explode from ecstasy. But when she felt herself shrink a few inches, her eyes shot open. The Blue Fairy's spell – it had been broken. She drew back from the princess, who for a moment just stared at her with open mouth. Then she whispered "You… you _are_ the evil queen."

"Emma, no, listen" said Regina, and she held up her hands to show she was armless. "I don't mean to hurt-"

But she couldn't finish what she was saying, because Emma had started screaming "Guards! Guards! It's the Evil Queen!"

Regina looked around and saw guards rushing towards her. They grabbed her by the arm and started dragging her away. She kicked and wrestled, but could do nothing to set herself free. She turned to the princess again, who was now sobbing on the ground, and, now also crying herself, blurted out "Emma, come talk to me, please! I- I love you." Then she felt a punch to the side of her head, and everything went black. When she woke up she found herself on the cold floor of a dark dungeon.


	6. 6: Dungeon Floor

Regina did not know how much time had passed, for it always appeared to be twilight in the dungeons, which were lit only by a couple of torches in the hallway that led to her cell. Once a guard had brought her a meal consisting of dry bread, water and a green apple – Regina snorted when she saw the latter, and immediately tossed it back through the bars. After a while she started regretting this decision, though, as she was absolutely starving. She wondered how much longer they'd let her sit here without any sort of contact. Perhaps they would just let her rot here forever.

She got to her feet and stretched. The cold concrete floor made her joints hurt, and the rags they had clothed her in while she was unconscious were itchy. None of this bothered her too much however, for her mind was already occupied by different concerns. _Emma._ Normally, Regina would not have cared what happened to her next – she had been own this road before, and if they were to execute her, she'd rather they did it as soon as possible. She had been ready to die at any moment for a long, long time. But now the thought sparked panic in her. If they were to execute her, or even simply let her rot away here, without ever giving her the chance to talk to Emma, if she never got to give the princess her full explanation… somehow this was an unbearable thought. With it came another worry, something that she tried to oppress but could feel gnawing at her brain like a parasite. _She had told Emma she loved her._ She barely dared to think about it, but what if she did get out of here? What if she did get the chance to speak to Emma? Hadn't she ruined everything by confessing her love so early on?

Of course, she had only called it out in a desperate attempt to make the princess see she wasn't just messing with her. Obviously she had feelings for Emma- there was no use denying that after the fireworks she had felt going off inside her when the princess pushed her lips upon hers - but had this been an ordinary situation of budding romance, she would never have uttered those tree words so quickly. She could still hear herself yell it. _I love you!_ It made her cringe. Then again, what else could she have done? Something like "I think I may be falling for you" would have given the guards plenty of time to knock her out before she had the chance to finish her sentence. Regina sighed and sat back down, back against the hard concrete wall, when she suddenly heard footsteps coming her way.

"If you're coming to bring me another apple, save yourself the effort!" she yelled, although her voice sounded weaker than she would have liked. Through the bars she saw a hooded figure with a lantern approaching. The person was not bearing any food – was her trial to begin? But when the figure held up the lantern, causing it's light to shine upon her face, Regina recognized a pair of greenish grey eyes. "Emma?"

The princess nodded and removed her hood. Regina felt her own face light up, but in Emma's there wasn't even a trace of a smile. "What are you doing here?"

"Keep your voice down," said Emma, still without any expression on her face. "I've had to sneak out in the middle of the night to come here."

"It's night?" Regina asked, in a whisper this time.

Emma nodded again.

"Oh."

They were silent for a moment as Regina got to her feet again and took hold of the bars of her cell, now only a few foot away from Emma.

"I came to get answers," said the princess, clearly attempting to sound more confident than she actually felt. In fact, Regina noticed that the woman barely dared to look her in the eye. Strange, considering _she_ was the one who had initiated that kiss god knows how long ago. Then again, her eyes, her whole body had been different then.

"If you want answers, you'll have to ask questions," said Regina in a matter-of-fact way, but her body was tense.

"All right," answered Emma, and she looked Regina fiercely in the eye. "What the hell are you doing here? How aren't you dead? What were you planning to do in this palace? And what…" she hesitated for a moment. "What was that little confession of yours all about?"

Regina raised her eyebrows. "My confession?"

"The "I love you.""

"Oh, that." Although the moment she was going to have to explain this had been playing in her mind over and over again ever since she woke up in her prison cell, Regina still didn't know what she wanted to say. She was going to have to say _something_ , though. She swallowed.

"Well, you have your superpower- you know I was sincere."

"I'm not convinced of my superpower anymore, seeing as you were clearly lying to me ever since we met."

"Emma…" Regina shook her head. "I have not been lying to you. My body may not have been my own, but everything I've told you, everything I've done since I got here was sincerely me."

Emma did not reply, she was just looking away, her face stern and her mouth tense.

"I realize that the… My confession, me declaring my love to you, probably came off a bit too strong. Had the circumstances been different, I would have never done it this way. I just needed you to understand, quickly, how I feel- how I have been feeling ever since I met you. As I said, "love" is a very strong word, but I have not been able to put you out of my mind for a moment – and believe me, I have tried." Regina chuckled, as if suddenly realizing how ridiculous this whole situation was.

Emma met her eyes again, still not smiling. "What about my other questions?"

Regina sighed. Telling Emma everything was probably her only chance at getting out of here, but she was reluctant to do it – opening up had never been her strong suit. She wished she could just get this over with and skip to the part where Emma believed her, forgave her and grabbed her by the waist to kiss her – a proper, long kiss this time. She caught herself staring at the princess's pale lips.

"I guess I'll just have to start at the beginning. You know my story up to my banishment, don't you?"

When Emma nodded, Regina started reiterating the events that happened afterwards, not leaving any of the raw details out. She told the princess of her misery, of her planned suicide, and then of the Blue Fairy giving her a second chance, and the curse that would transform her. Here she paused for a moment and gave Emma a meaningful look. "You've broken the spell, Emma, so if you were not yet convinced that this – whatever is going on between us is sincere, this should do it." She saw the way these words changed Emma' face – it suddenly looked lighter, and Regina even caught the princess's gaze lingering at her lips for a bit too long.

"I lived in the woods surrounding this castle convinced that being closer to Snow would spark my old passion for revenge. It was the only thing I'd had to live for, for such a long time. That changed only when I met Henry." Regina smiled shyly. "He brought joy to my life, and gave me a sense of purpose."

"But you always knew he was Snow's grandson," said Emma suddenly. "You took him on to get closer to your revenge."

Regina was startled by this remark. "Well, yes and no. As I said, I didn't really have anything else to hang on to, so revenge was always on the back of my mind. And yes, that was the situation when you invited me to the castle, too."

"So what were you planning to do here?"

Regina shrugged. "As I said, revenge was in the _back_ of my mind. Certainly every time I saw Snow made me want to – well, strangle her. But I never had a concrete plan. Really, I was just glad to have a change of scenery. I kept trying to convince myself that I was so close now, that I really should come up with something, until I realized I barely cared at all. Actually, I was starting to feel like maybe I could just wait for Snow to die, and in the meanwhile… maybe enjoy myself in different ways." She sat down again, and Emma did the same. Regina could tell the princess believed her. "So, how does it feel to have your arch enemy open up to you like this?" she asked her with a smirk.

For the first time, Emma smiled slightly. "Strange," she mumbled. "Very strange."

After a pause, she said "You're not my arch enemy, anyway. You're my parents'. I'm sick of living according to their grudges." Emma stared at Regina's face, then her hands. "It's odd – you're not the person I've been growing so close to, and yet at the same time…you are."

"I haven't seen my own reflection in such a long time, I'm not sure if I should feel pleased or sorry for you," said Regina, half joking.

Emma chuckled. "You're quite beautiful."

"I'll tell your mother you said that," said Regina, really joking this time, but Emma's face fell.

"You'll have plenty of chance to do that tomorrow… that's when they're planning on questioning you."

"Questioning me, huh? And then what?"

Emma shrugged. "My father and the dwarves suggested you'd be executed without any trial. My mother wanted to at least talk to you before… before any such decision is made."

"Oh." Snow had always been one for second chances. Perhaps she was willing to give Regina another chance – although it wouldn't be her second. More like her eighth.

"I don't want you to die."

Emma had said it softly, almost inaudibly. Regina stared at her for a moment before replying "Me neither."

Emma held her gaze as she stood up. "Try to get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow, I suppose." She turned around and started to leave.

"Emma?"

When the princess turned back towards her, Regina took a deep breath before she asked "A kiss for luck?"

But the princess shook her head. "You're not… I don't think I can." She walked out of the dungeons, leaving Regina alone in her cell once more. The prisoner laid down in a corner and tried to make herself as comfortable as possible, but she already knew that she was not going to get any sleep.


	7. 7: Trial

Hello darlings! I can't believe people are still following this, what with my incredibly inconsistent uploading, but thank you so much for taking the time to read this! I thought I'd end the year with a short little update - and one of my new year's resolutions is, of course, to write more. We shall see...

Happy new year!

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Trial**

After what felt like an endless night, the dungeon was lit by another lantern, this time carried by a guard who came to bring Regina breakfast – consisting only of dry bread this time. He silently stood in front of her cell, watching her eat the meagre meal while two more guards arrived, both of them carrying swords. One was playing with handcuffs. Once she'd finished, they unlocked her cell and roughly grabbed her by her arms to handcuff them behind her back. Regina walked with them obediently, as they escorted her out of her cell and up the narrow stairs. She soon realized where they were heading – the throne room. One of the guards kept hold of her, while the other two pushed open the gigantic doors that led to one of the most beautiful rooms in the castle. Regina looked up and saw David and Snow sitting upon their heavily embellished thrones on a platform. On their side, on a slightly more modest stool, sat Emma, and besides her stood Henry.

The guards brought her to the middle of the room, let go of her and bowed to the royal family. "We bring you your prisoner," said one of them.

"Thank you, Graham," said Snow, and she nodded to make it known that their service was no longer needed. Then she turned her gaze towards the woman standing in front of her.

"Regina," said Snow coolly, giving her a single nod as a way of greeting her.

Regina raised an eyebrow. "Snow. Nice to see you again. All four of you," she replied, and she quickly glanced at Emma. The princess shifted in her seat. She was clearly nervous. She was wearing a beautiful dress, though, and Regina suddenly felt very self-conscious in her rags.

"I'm sure it is," said Snow in the same icy tone.

For a moment, nobody said anything, and Regina stood awkwardly while the four royals were inspecting her. She saw Henry turn to Emma and whisper something in her ear, and she was dying to know what he was saying. Then Charming broke the silence.

"Regina, although we have been rid of you for a long time, clearly banishment will not do the trick. Therefor you will be executed."

Snow gave him a sideways glance. "Unless you are able to convince us otherwise."

Clearly this remark annoyed Charming. Regina raised an eyebrow.

"I see you two don't quite agree here. Interesting."

"Being smug will not do you any good right now, Regina," said Snow quickly.

Regina rolled her eyes and sighed. "All right. Are you going to question me, or should I save you the effort and just tell you everything?"

Charming looked surprised. "You've never been so willing to share, but do go ahead."

And so Regina told her story again, this time up until how she got into the castle.

"So did you know cornering my daughter and assaulting her would break your curse?"

Regina was taken aback by this. "Cornering her… assaulting her? Is that how she tells the story?" She looked at Emma, who was now blushing, and then back at Snow. "For your information, your daughter kissed _me._ "

Snow gasped, but Regina continued, directing her words at Emma this time. "Is that what you told them, princess?"

"No," said Emma softly. "Mother, you've never asked me what happened, and so I have never told you. I was, indeed, the one initiating the kiss."

Snow looked at her incredulously. "But Emma… Surely she had cast some sort of spell on you. I mean, you don't even look at women that way, my darling girl."

This remark changed Emma's face – where she looked shy and obedient at first, now she looked fierce as she said "I assure you Flor-, eh, Regina, had not done any such thing. I do look at women that way."

Both Snow and David couldn't hide the shock on their faces, although Henry looked perfectly indifferent. "Emma, you've never told us…," Snow started, before shaking her head. "No, that's a conversation for later." She turned back to Regina, who was still looking at the princess with a slight smile. The way Emma had finally stood up to her parents had impressed her greatly. She wanted to tell her how proud she was of her, but held her tongue.

"Well, at least you've already made the connection between Emma and breaking the spell. But no, I did not arrive here with those intentions in mind, as I did not ever expect it to be broken – let alone by someone of the royal family." Regina hesitated for a moment before continuing in a softer tone "But I'm sure you two, especially, must realize the significance. The connection between Emma and me was strong enough to break a spell. So, as much as you hate me as the Evil Queen…"

"Emma did not even know it was you," said Snow abruptly. "She would have never… liked you, had you been honest. You have deceived her, and whatever feelings she has were for that pretty, reckless horseback rider named Florence."

"That was still me."

"What are you saying, Regina? Do you want to be with my daughter?" Snow said in a mocking tone. "You don't seriously think that after all you've done to me, to us, we'd let you…"

"I actually did think that," said Regina, interrupting her. "Or at least hoped you would. It's what the old Snow would've done. You've always presented yourself as a symbol of hope, forgiveness, and most of all true love."

"You can't manipulate us like that, Regina!" David was almost yelling.

Regina raised her eyebrows at him, but before she could speak Snow started "True love, seriously? You want to make me believe that that's what's going on between you and Emma?"

Regina glanced at the princess again, who was picking at her nails nervously. It annoyed her suddenly that after that small, fierce moment, the princess had turned back into her shy self, not saying anything, not standing up for herself.

"No, I'm just saying there's… potential. She broke my spell, Snow!"

"According to you that just means you've found a way to love yourself."

"And others."

"Oh, but that doesn't mean that others love you back," Snow concluded in a condescending manner. This caused Regina to nearly lose her temper – how dared that little brat speak to her like she was some sort of child? Though she may look younger than the queen now, she was still her stepmother – not the other way around.

"Why don't you ask _her_ what _she_ thinks?!" she hissed, and looked up at Emma, a daring look in her eyes.

"I… I don't…," the princess stammered, but Snow interrupted her again.

"I think it's time we have a talk in private before we continue. Guards, take the prisoner back to her cell."

Regina looked at her furiously, but said nothing – starting a fight now would only make matters worse. She let the guards grab her still cuffed arms and drag her away, but not before she glanced at Emma once more, giving her a look that was meant to be encouraging. _Please,_ she thought, _stand up for yourself._ She hoped Emma got the message somehow.

Back in her cell, Regina did not know what to think. At least she had not been executed yet – that was something. She had made it clear that she had changed – to a certain extent, that was, and that she genuinely just wanted to start over… right? Self-doubt kicked in, and suddenly she was aware of everything she had done and said while she was in front of the Charmings. _I should have kept my temper, I should not have snapped at Emma_ … Regina shook her head. There was nothing she could do about it now.

When a guard came to bring her supper, he brought hope with him. For the supper consisted not of dry bread and water, but of chicken, peas and even wine. Another guard followed with a thick blanket, which he handed to her through the bars. Had Emma been speaking up for her?


	8. 8: Letters

When Regina was brought to the throne room the following day, she was met only by Snow White and her daughter.

"So. Decided to give the men a break from the drama, have you?"

Snow gave her an irritated glance.

"No. Today's conversation is going to be rather intimate, and Charming does not quite agree with my verdict. He's still in favour of your execution."

"And you're not?" Regina couldn't hide the surprise in her voice.

Snow shook her head slowly. "I was. But then Blue convinced me… with a bit of help from Emma."

The princess was beaming at Regina, who gave her a shy smile in return.

"We've had a very long conversation yesterday," Snow continued, "Blue came to advise us, even though she has business elsewhere these days. She was pleased to hear that you'd finally taken the chance she'd offered you all those years ago."

Regina's thoughts drifted back to the moment Blue had come to rescue her. How miserable she was then, she thought, and how much better did she feel now.

"David wasn't convinced. You've had so many chances and you've always ended up letting us down. Why would you deserve another shot at happiness?" she paused and looked Regina up and down.

"Then Emma said, what's the harm, she doesn't have her magic anymore… You don't, do you?"

"No," said Regina, her voice sad. "Believe me, if I had, you'd have known."

Snow nodded, satisfied. Then she turned to Emma.

"It's your turn to speak, darling."

It appeared to Regina as if they'd rehearsed this conversation yesterday. It didn't bother her, though – she was too overwhelmed by the positive news she seemed to be receiving that she couldn't care less about the way it was delivered.

Emma started, hesitantly at first, but more steadfast as she continued. "Regina, I don't have the same feelings my parents have when I look at you. I've heard the stories, but I've never experienced any of it, and thus I'm more inclined to believe that you really do deserve another chance, and more readily able to forgive you,"

Regina smiled generously at the princess. "Thank you, Emma."

Snow corrected her. "It's your majesty."

Emma flushed.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, sweetie, do go on – I believe you have some more to say to Regina."

"Right." Emma cleared her throat. "However, that… forgiveness is all I can give you."

"Oh." Regina took a moment to process what Emma was saying to her.

Snow took over again. "Regina, you are on probation. You are to remain at the castle and continue your lessons with Henry if you wish. You will be guarded at all times."

"What about my lessons with Emma?" She saw Emma tense up.

"Those are no longer happening" said Snow coolly.

Regina's mouth fell open. "Why not?"

"Not having you executed is one thing. We still don't consider you a proper candidate for our daughter's hand, and we don't want you confusing her any longer."

"Confusing her? Would you have said the same if I were a man?" Regina blurted out before she knew it.

Snow narrowed her eyes. "Of course."

"Am I allowed to see her at all?"

"Not anytime soon."

Regina was silent for a moment. She saw the sad look in Emma's eyes, and knew she had not had any say in this matter.

Snow, obviously ready to wrap this up, said "Any questions about your probation?"

She had many questions regarding her being banned from seeing Emma, but she realized there was no point in arguing with Snow at the moment.

"Am I to remain shackled?" asked Regina, longing to finally put her arms into a more comfortable position.

Snow hesitated for a moment, as if reconsidering this whole plan, but then said "No. Graham, free her and escort her to her rooms."

Regina said nothing as Graham unlocked her shackles and urged her to walk back to her rooms. When she passed the staff kitchen, however, she said "Wait! I'm free to go and eat now, aren't I?"  
Graham shrugged and nodded, and Regina almost ran into the cafeteria – she was still absolutely starving. But as she walked up to the counter to get a plate of food, she heard the room go silent. She looked around and saw at least twenty people either staring at her in terror or whispering to each other. She suppressed an urge to roll her eyes, for being sassy probably would not do her situation any good. Instead, she put up a friendly smile as she walked on. The lady behind the counter handed her a plate without saying anything, even though Regina politely said "please" and "thank you." She took a seat at an empty table in a corner, Graham standing by her side.

"Won't you sit down?"

"I'm here to guide you, not have dinner with you."

Regina sighed. Were people ever going to see her as a normal person again?

She finished her meal as quickly as she could and continued her way to her rooms. Once there, Graham explained that he was going to lock her in for the night. Regina just shrugged- she couldn't care less at the moment. All she wanted was to take a bath.

As soon as she heard her door lock, she filled the bath with warm water. She spent a good hour savouring the warmth and comfort of the bath, and scrubbing off all the dirt from the filthy prison floor. Then she picked a nightgown from her closet, slid under the clean covers of her bed and closed her eyes. Although she had barely slept in the past few nights, and the feeling of finally being in a bed again was overwhelmingly comfortable, Regina found herself unable to fall asleep. All she could think about was Emma. Clearly the princess had not had a lot of say in Regina's punishment. So what would _she_ have wanted?

* * *

The following morning, Regina woke early. Now that she was somewhat free again, she wanted to take a ride on Ruby before her lesson with Henry. This, of course, meant that a guard was to ride along with her.

Graham seemed to have been a temporary guard, or at least have the day off today, for when she stepped out of her room in her equestrian clothing she was met by a young guard with a still boyish face. She couldn't help but smile at him – it was a good thing that she was not planning to do something wrong, as there was no way this boy would be able to stop her from doing anything. The guard, who had been looking overly serious moments ago, decided to smile back at her. He must be even younger than Emma, which meant that he had not grown up fearing her.

"I'm assuming you're guarding me today?"

He nodded. "Yep. Well, me and Pinocchio, but he's still on his way – we didn't expect you to wake up this early."

Regina raised an eyebrow. "Pinocchio, huh? And you are?"

"Felix."

"Well Felix, can you ride a horse?"

"Of course he can," said a voice from behind Regina. She turned around and looked into the bright blue eyes of another guard, who introduced himself as Pinocchio. He, too, made a boyish impression, but this was caused not so much by his appearances as by his nonchalant vibe.

As they made their way to the stables, Regina explained the route she wanted to take. The guards promised to stay a bit behind her so she could ride freely, which gave her immense joy. Maybe this probation thing wasn't so bad. She saddled Ruby, mounted the horse and led her to the edge of the forest with a trot. There she squeezed her legs together, to which the horse immediately responded – she launched herself into a stable gallop, horse and rider one as they flew over obstacles. Regina could hear the sounds of her guards horses following her, but she did not care, for when she was riding she felt free. When she finally came to a halt at a stream to let Ruby drink, she had a huge smile on her face.

"You hardly look evil" said Pinocchio, who had approached her to let his horse drink as well.

"Because I'm not." Regina shrugged. "Not anymore."

"And does that have anything to do with Emma?"

Regina looked up, startled by his bluntness. "I don't know. I guess she pushed me over the edge a little, but I'd been soul-searching for 28 years before that."

"So how old are you now really?"

Regina raised an eyebrow. "That's none of your business."

Pinocchio rolled his eyes. "Oh come on, allow me the pleasure to be able to tease Emma for wanting to be with a sixty-something year old."

Regina froze. "For… wanting to be with me?"

"Well, of course she did not know your true age back then."

"Oh, right." Regina's heart sank. Pinocchio was merely talking about what Emma had wanted when she was disguised as a pretty, young woman named Florence.

"So you're friends with the princess?"

Pinocchio shrugged. "Yeah. She's surprisingly less of a bore when her parents are not around – which you have probably experienced yourself."

"Indeed." So she was not the only one who had noticed how Emma behaved so much differently around her parents.

"Shall we go on? You'll be late for your lesson with Henry!" called Felix suddenly.

Regina sighed and mounted her horse again, and together they rode back to the stables – this time the guards did not stay behind her, but they made a bit of a race out of it instead. Regina managed to win, although Pinocchio claimed to have let her because she was a woman, to which she gave him the finger. Once they reached the stables, where Henry was already waiting for her, Regina was exhausted but in a very good mood.

* * *

Back in her rooms, Regina emptied her satchel on her bed. Among the uneaten apple and a hairbrush suddenly lied a sealed letter. Regina frowned as she picked it up. How had that winded up there? Henry must've put it in her satchel when she hadn't been looking. She folded it open and her heart skipped a beat when she realized whom it was from. She sat herself down on the windowsill and read.

 _Regina,_

 _I think we both have some explaining to do. Your guard, Pinocchio, is my friend. If you are willing to talk to me, I will convince him to let me see you. Let Henry know your answer tomorrow._

The next line looked as if it had been quickly scribbled in between the text and the signature, as if the writer had decided later that she did want to add it.

 _I do hope you'll say yes._

 _Emma_

No "Dear Regina", no "Love, Emma" but still… it was quite something. Emma wanted to talk to her. Henry was involved, which meant that he was supporting his mother even though she was going against Snow and Charming's will, which somehow filled Regina with a feeling of pride. She did not even have to think about the answer she was to give Henry tomorrow – of course she wanted it, too. _I do hope you'll say yes._ Regina read that line over and over again, smiling to herself.


	9. 9: Black Panties

Sooo this gets kind of steamy but I did try to keep it tasteful. If you don't like that sort of thing maybe just skip the last part?

* * *

Regina looked in the mirror, and then at the clock again. It was a quarter to eight, which meant that Emma would be here any minute. Regina had not been able to sit still for the past few hours, being a lot more nervous than she wanted to admit to herself. After dinner, she had tried to read for a bit, but found herself standing up every five minutes to check her hair, or to simply pace around the room. She had come up with a ton of different scenarios of what could happen – Emma yelling at her, Emma kissing her, Emma not showing up at all…

There was a knock on the door, and although she had been waiting for it, Regina was startled.

"Come in!" she called, her voice higher than usual.

The door opened and in came princess Emma, looking stunning as always in yet another red gown. Regina couldn't help but smile at her.

"Emma. Hi."

"Hello", said Emma, softly, but with a smile as well.

"Do sit down." Regina gestured towards her sofa. "Do you want a drink?"

"Yes, please. I'll have whatever you'll have."

This made Regina laugh. "Are you sure, princess? What I'm having is quite strong," she said as she poured herself a glass of whiskey. "I can't imagine you've ever had anything stronger than wine."

Emma shrugged. "I'm sure I can take it."

"Alright then" Regina said with a smug face as she poured another glass.

"Here you go." She handed the glass to Emma and, since there were no other chairs around, sat down next to her.

Regina took a large sip, and Emma followed her example - but she did not manage to do it quite as gracefully as Regina had. She squinted her eyes shut and made a loud gulping sound as she attempted to swallow. Regina couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Told you."

Once she'd recovered from the sip, Emma exclaimed "Good god, that burns! How can you drink this stuff without flinching?"

"Practice," said Regina with a grin. "I'll get you some water."

When she came back and handed Emma a glass of water, she saw that the princess' eyes were still watery, and she realized that it had little to do with the strength of the whisky.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." Emma wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her dress and looked away.

Fully aware that she'd never been good at conversations such as this one, Regina held her breath for a moment, but it seemed like Emma was not going to start talking herself.

"Hey, Emma?"

When the princess didn't respond, Regina took her hand and gently urged her to turn towards her.

"What's going on?"

Emma teared up again, but this time she didn't look away. "It's just… Oh, it's stupid." She sniffed. When Regina kept looking at her expectantly, Emma sighed and continued:

"The way you just laughed at me… It made me feel... But then I remember…" Emma started sobbing. "Do.. do you have a tissue?"

Regina, who had been staring at the princess incredulously, blinked as if waking up from a daydream. "Yes, of course," she said hastily as she hurried to her bedroom to find a tissue. Emma took it from her gratefully as Regina sat down next to her, a little closer this time, and took her hand again. They did not speak, but simply looked at each other, the deep brown eyes somehow calming the princess down.

"You were telling me about remembering something."

"Yes." Emma looked away again and mumbled "I… I remember how I didn't stand up for you, for myself, even though I knew that was all you wanted." Regina could see genuine fear in Emma's eyes when she looked up and asked "I'm so sorry for being a coward… Can you forgive me?"

Regina chuckled, which seemed to confuse Emma. "Forgive you?" She shook her head. "You did me no wrong, dear. In fact, I'm proud of you. You sneaked out in the middle of the night to see me in that dungeon, and here you are again. Emma, you're really brave."

"But…"

"But you feel like you haven't stood up to your parents."

Emma smiled slightly. "You know me well."

"Look, standing up to your own family is extremely difficult, especially since you're so dependent on them, and I understand that completely. You can't just break with them overnight and run off with their former enemy, who you barely even know." Regina poured herself another glass of whiskey in an attempt to soothe the butterflies that had surfaced when she talked about running off with Emma.

"Thank you for understanding."

"Of course."

"And for putting up with my emotional outburst," she said with an apologetic face as she wiped away her last tears.

Regina smiled. "No problem."

Suddenly Emma started laughing. Regina raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"I just… I can't believe you were the great and terrible evil queen. You sounded so threatening in the stories I've been told, but… Your smile is just adorable."

"Hey, I can be threatening when I want to be!" said Regina defensively, but this only made Emma laugh again. Before Regina could continue her defence, however, Emma pulled her closer and kissed her. Just like the last time, Regina froze for a second before she responded. This time, however, there was no curse to worry about. It was just her, and this beautiful woman who for some reason wanted to kiss her. She gave in to her completely, her hands tangled in the long blonde hair as Emma pulled her even closer and slipped her tongue into her mouth. A soft moan escaped Regina's mouth, and she could feel Emma smile slightly.

" _Sooo_ threatening," chuckled Emma softly as she pulled away.

Regina smiled and nudged Emma's nose with her own. "See how brave you are, though? Kissing me, twice."

Emma simply shrugged. "It's easy, see?" she said as she leaned forward and went in for another kiss. When they broke apart, Regina's gaze lingered on the other woman's lips, her face suddenly slightly confused as if she was working out a math problem.

Emma waved a hand before her eyes. "What?"

"I just can't believe someone like you would want to be with… well, kiss me."

"And be with you," said Emma almost casually while absentmindedly playing with a lock of Regina's hair.

"Are you sure?" Regina tried to sound casual, too, but her voice sounded soft and shaky.

Emma sighed. "It's absolutely crazy, but yes."

Regina still looked unconvinced. "And how are you planning on… being with me?"

"That's a good question." Emma thought for a moment. "Well, I can come here any time Pinocchio is guarding you – which, from what I've gathered, is most of the time – unless I have other obligations. We could even have a fixed weekly evening for courting if you want."

"For courting?!" Regina couldn't help but laugh.

Emma blushed. "Well, yes, I know we're not exactly the traditional courting couple but for lack of a better term…"

"It's called dating, dear. In the world outside this castle."

"Oh." Emma frowned. "So… Is that the same thing?"

Regina shrugged. "Essentially, yes. It's a bit more casual, I suppose. Less focused on marriage. But couples who are dating usually have what they call _date nights_."

"Perfect!"

"Yeah..." Regina suddenly looked doubtful again. Dating Emma was more than she could have dreamed of, but dating usually led to more. Without the approval of Emma's parents, there was no way they could have a happy ending. Either Emma would have to stand up to their parents and convince them, or they'd have to break up sooner or later. Wouldn't it be better to protect her heart and put an end to this now?

But when she looked into Emma's bright eyes, she knew that she couldn't let go just yet. She sighed.

"We'll figure it out, won't we?"

Emma raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Us. The future… Your parents."

Emma looked hesitant for a second, but then smiled generously. "Yes. Having you with me will give me the courage I need to face them… I just need time."

"Of course," said Regina, and she kissed the princess on the forehead. "Hey, when do you have to leave tonight?" She did her best to make it sound casual - she didn't want the princess to think that she was suggesting she'd spend the night, as she had the feeling that the princes was rather prude. Now that she thought of it, though, Emma was the one coming on to her with those passionate kisses…

"Oh, I can stay until you're bored with me," said Emma cheerfully.

"So, forever?"

Emma laughed. "Don't be silly, you'd get bored! And I will have to get back to my princess duties at some point. Oh shoot!" she put her hand over her mouth. "I'm supposed to spend the day with some prince tomorrow."

"A prince?" asked Regina, arching her brow as she did so often. "And does he happen to be in want of a wife?"

"Er…" Emma's cheeks turned a deep pink, which Regina thought was the most adorable thing she'd ever seen. "My mother might've mentioned something like that," she mumbled. She did not know what kind of reaction to expect from Regina, but was relieved when she only laughed.

"Snow's trying to make you forget about me, huh?"

"I guess so. But don't worry. I'm yours." Emma said earnestly, and Regina knew she meant it.

"Just don't kiss him the way you just kissed me, believe me, it'll be impossible for him to get over you."

Emma giggled and pulled in for another kiss. When their lips met, Regina thought about what Emma had said. _I'm yours._ Suddenly she realized it was the other way around, too. She was Emma's, and she felt, she knew, that she'd give this princess everything, even if it meant sacrifice on her part. It was a strange feeling, since she had not had a relationship on such equal ground since she'd lost her first love, Daniel. After that, everything had been about dominance and her own pleasure… until now. Before she could express any of this to Emma, however, the princess decided to make a bold move which made Regina completely forget her string of thoughts.

Emma had rested one hand on Regina's neck, but let it slowly drift off to a few inches below, until it cupped Regina's breast, which she rubbed gently. She never saw Regina's shocked look as she did it, because her mouth had drifted off, too, and her lips were now planting sensual kisses on Regina's neck. For a second, Regina decided to bask in the moment – she threw her head back, her breath became heavier and she was overcome with a lust for more. She made herself snap out of it, however.

"Emma?"

Emma lifted her head, but kept her hand on the woman's breast.

"What?"

"What are you doing?"

Emma stared at her for a second. "Isn't that obvious?"

Regina laughed nervously. "Well, yes, I just… Are you sure?"

"Oh, I knew you were going to think I was a prude!" Emma sat up, looking truly aggravated. "Come on, Regina, I know what I'm doing. Or do you think Henry just magically appeared?"

"I… right."

"Do you not want to do this? That's okay, just tell me." Emma pushed a strand of Regina's hair back behind her ear. The touch made Regina shiver.

"I _definitely_ want to do this," said Regina in a rather smug tone, as she tried to conceal her raging nerves.

"Good," whispered Emma, before she stood up. She began undressing in front of Regina, her motions slow and sensual. As she was wearing a gown and a corset, it took quite a while to get to her undergarments, but Regina enjoyed every step of the way. As she helped unlace the heavy corset, she felt like she was unwrapping a precious gift. Then, when Emma was stripped down to an elegant chemise, she pushed Regina back on the sofa and climbed on her lap, her knees on each side of Regina's hips. Regina wanted to tell her how breath-taking she was, and how brave, but she didn't get the chance as Emma kissed her, hard, and all she could do was moan. Emma managed to unbutton Regina's jacket without breaking their kiss. All she was wearing underneath was an overbust black corset that accented her breasts. It was incredibly sexy, so Emma left it on for a while as she helped Regina out of her boots and tights. Then it was time to remove the corset, too.

The former evil queen looked vulnerable, small even, as she was sitting on the sofa in her black panties only. She had never been one to feel insecure about her body, but now that she stood in front of Emma, who had a killer body herself, and whom she so desperately wanted to please, she couldn't help but feel self-conscious.

Emma pulled her from the couch and wrapped her arms around her waist. "You're stunning," she said, her voice low and raspy. Regina grinned. "You're even better."

Now that they were standing, Regina felt it was time for her to take some control. She grabbed Emma's hand and led her to the bedroom, where she pushed her against the wall and kissed her neck. A teasing hand slid under her chemise, caressing breasts, hipbones, thighs.

"Take me to bed" Emma whispered into her ear, and Regina obeyed immediately, turning the other woman around and laying her down amongst the pillows and blankets that made her bed. As she climbed onto her, Emma said "You're shivering," her tone a little worried. Suddenly Regina realized that indeed, she was shivering, and she didn't know whether it was because of nerves or excitement but she didn't care. "It's okay," she said, before pulling up Emma's chemise and planting a trail of kisses all the way from her collarbone to her groin. She could feel the woman responding to her every touch, and wondered whether she was experiencing the exact same sensations that had shot through herself when Emma had touched her so intimately. Then Emma sat up and pulled her chemise over her head. She smiled as she eyed Regina and said "Now let's get you out of those." Taking back control, Emma reached over and helped Regina out of her panties. She pinned the now fully naked woman down on her back, pushed her legs apart and started devouring her, first with her fingers, then with her mouth. Regina found herself giving in to Emma completely, as she had never done with anyone before. Her whole body was trembling at this point, but she had never felt more safe. Her back arched as she was getting closer to her climax. Emma seemed to know exactly what she needed and kept giving her more and more, until finally Regina's head was spinning and her thighs quivering uncontrollably. She cried out Emma's name before falling back to the bed, panting. Emma wiped her mouth before kissing her, passionately at first, but slowing it down to a soft, sweet caress. Then she laid down next to Regina, nestling in her arms.

"I love hearing you say my name like that," she said, "and I think I love you."

Regina smiled shyly. "I love you, too" she said, before burying her face in Emma's neck.


End file.
